Gov. Gavin Newsom resisted the fight against President Trump over transgender youth in women’s sports. He forced the road to the runway to reconcile with Republican leaders after the Los Angeles wildfires.
Just last week he hesitated before speaking when rumors swirled around a massive federal funding to California.
Newsom’s detention ended when Trump stolen the governor’s authority over the weekend by deploying the California State Guard in the city of Los Angeles to quell protests over immigrant raids.
“I’m still willing to have the backs of the people I represent and do whatever it takes to move forward with that cause, but I’m not going to do that when I see the constitution and the rule of law trampling,” he said in an interview with The Times. “So we all have a red line. That’s my red line.”
Newsom said the arrival of troops in the biggest city in Golden State escalated tensions between protesters and law enforcement, but he accused Trump of intentionally inflamed in order to sow chaos. Whether Newsom likes it or not, the president’s actions raid the governor at the forefront of democratic resistance to Trump that he is reluctant to embrace after losing the November presidential election.
On Monday, Trump said his border emperor Tom Homan should follow the threat to arrest the governor. The president cast California as incompetent by not controlling it, ending the mayhem and protecting federal immigration agents from protesters.
“If I were Tom, I would do it,” Trump said. “I think that’s great. Gavin likes advertising, but I think it’s great. He did a terrible job.”
Newsom also fed Homan: “Come and take me, tough guy.”
Newsom’s position as a nation’s leader, a national target for federal government, provides both risk and reward to the governor, taking into account the White House’s 2028 operations.
Democrats and Progressives are thirsty for leaders to challenge Trump and his controversial policies. The National Democrats quickly took him to social media and made public their challenge to Homan to arrest him as governor’s challenge. Being handcuffed by Trump’s Justice Department officials would likely raise the newspaper to the status of a Democrat martist.
“They’re making the most of the world,” said John Pitney, professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna University.
Even without arrests, the political battle could boost Newsom’s Democrat status.
But immigration is one of Trump’s best policy issues for voters, not the ideal political battle for Democrats with presidential aspirations.
“This is Donald Trump’s glow,” said Sad Kooser, a professor of political science at UC San Diego. “He has chosen these fights for executive and federal power in the political terrain that he is most popular, including immigrants, trans athletes, Day, and ‘awakening’ college. He chooses these governance fights that he believes can win politics. ”
For Newsom, the attack provides an opportunity to challenge the president’s story that his immigration policy is to eliminate criminals and protect borders, Kousser said.
In an interview, Newsom reiterated that the Trump administration has targeted children in elementary school classrooms, and that it targets law-abiding citizens who have been in California for over a decade.
He also framing the deployment of the military into Los Angeles, where Trump is more than immigrants.
“This is much bigger,” Newsom said. “This is a certain force and control over all aspects of our lives. It is to destroy the constitutional order. It is to demolish the rule of law. This is literally the cornerstone of our founder, and they are lying in their tombs.”
Trump’s acquisition of Los Angeles could derail the work the governor did to showcase his more moderate policy stance on America.
While carefully choosing and choosing his battle with Trump, Newsom used his podcast this year to air his belief that it is unfair for trans athletes to compete with women and women’s sports. Through interviews with controversial conservative figures such as Stephen K. Bannon, the governor sought to demonstrate his ability to be honest with anyone, regardless of political affiliation.
Newsom was strategic about his attacks on Trump, including criticizing tariffs, a president’s political vulnerability.
“Everyone who wants to lead the Democrats needs support or at least acquiescence of the party’s progressive wing, but Democrats need to appeal to the wider public. So far, this situation has not helped,” Pitney said of the fight over immigration.
Images streamed from Los Angeles also create election vulnerabilities for the governor.
“Perchance Newsom was the Democratic candidate for 2028. Looking at a photo of Waymos on the streets of Los Angeles, “What Newsom did for California, do it for America.”
Kousser argues in his presidential campaign that he will be responsible for all California’s shortcomings, whether he stands up against Trump’s immigrant attacks.
The governor is fighting in court, but there is little that can be done to stop the federal government by supporting peaceful protests and using his public podium. This situation underscores the challenges for Newsom and state leaders who are interested in the White House.
“This is the blessing and curse of the governor who wants to run for a higher office. When something happens in their state, they will look at the nation above them, even if it is not the political basis for them to fight,” Kousser said.
